Ferocious Flirting: Making Marriage Wonderful

As discussed previously, a personalized message means so much more than just saying it. Hand written notes mean more than email. Why? Its the difference between a work of art and a product off the assembly line. The work of art is one of a kind. It is unique and there will never be another one like it. Same with your hand written note. Same with your sweetie. My sweetheart and I came across some audio tapes we had. One I had recorded and one was sent to my sweetie. The family had so much fun listening to them. It had been a lot of years and we had forgotten what was even on them. Why not make an audio tape or CD for your sweetie? Rather than trying to sit down and recording a whole hour, record it in little sound bites over 2 or 3 weeks. Include on it funny things that have happened, things your sweetie has done that you appreciated , little things you are planning on doing , and how much you love your sweetheart . Once it is done, wrap it up and give it to your sweetie.

A friend of mine has dual citizenship in the U.S. and in Canada. This lucky dog gets to celebrate twice as many holidays as I do. He has 2 Thanksgiving feasts, although it takes me about a year to recover from just the one. The Canadians also have extra holidays like Boxing Day, Easter Monday and Canada Day. Just because my friend celebrates the Canadian holidays, does that make him a poor citizen of the United States of America? No, of course not. Especially when I get to celebrate with him. Looking south instead of north today we see that it is the Cinco de Mayo, which is a big celebration in Mexican history. Some facts about Cinco de Mayo : It is NOT Mexican independence day. It is actually September 16. It celebrates the defeat of a larger, better equipped French army by a smaller army of Mexicans in the state of Puebla. During the American Civil War, Napoleon tried to invade Mexico and add it to his empire. The US helped out the Mexicans, once the Civil War was over.

Whether you support the war in Iraq or not, the soldiers serving deserve our support. Most of us have a neighbor, friend or relative serving overseas. Why not spend some time together doing something for those soldiers.? See Any Soldier for ideas of what to send. They also can help if you want to send a package but don't know any soldiers.

There is a story of Johnny Lingo which you can read and has been made into a short film . The story is one of a Polynesian trader who goes bargaining for a wife. No one can understand when he offers the unheard of sum of eight cows for a girl that most consider not worth even two cows. Johnny, it turns out, is a good trader after all. People live up to or down to others expectations of them. Tell a kid they are stupid and they will believe it for the rest of their life. Treat a kid as if they are intelligent and they perform better in school. As quoted in ERIC Digest 116 July 1997 on Expectations for Students: Students tend to internalize the beliefs teachers have about their ability. Generally, they "rise or fall to the level of expectation of their teachers.... When teachers believe in students, students believe in themselves. When those you respect think you can, you think you can" (James Raffini 1993). Living to expectation applies not just to students, but to your swe

Many people do not know how to take a sincere compliment. Part of the problem may be that people do not receive compliments often enough to have practice gracefully accept them. Also, since they are rare, we wonder what it is the person wants from us. Is this really a compliment or am I just being buttered up? People also fear that accepting a compliment appears arrogant. What do people do when they receive a compliment. A common response is to put yourself down. Consider the this common exchange: You have a wonderful singing voice. I was off key. What follows is that the giver of the compliment feels the need to reinforce the compliment while the receiver feels the need to continue to put themselves down with each compliment so as to appear modest. The net result can be that both parties feel poorly with the exchange. How to receive a compliment. Simply say Thank you, that was very kind of you to say. Notice how the receiver does not appear immodest because they are thanking them fo

My sweetie loves to shop, but doesn't often go shopping for herself. With what kids need, car and home repairs, medical bills and so forth, there isn't a lot of money to go shopping with and she often feels guilty if she spends anything on herself. Even if I give her cash for birthday or Mother's Day , she will often spend it on something the kids need or want. One thing that works are gift cards from a store where she likes to shop. Sometimes gift cards feel impersonal. They seem to say "I don't really know you well enough to choose a gift you would like." For that reason I try to avoid giving gift cards to people. But in the case of my sweetheart, it works out well. First, I spent the money so she doesn't have to feel guilty about it. Second, since it can only be used at a place she likes to go, she can't spend it on the kids. Third, she likes me to accompany her when she shops so it makes a nice date night for her. Lastly, it lets her know I am pa

I usually refrain from posting other people's words. However, today, is a rare exception. I found the following floating around the Internet and it is worth sharing exactly as it is. Thanks to Anonymous who wrote it: The Gift of Listening But you must really listen. Don't interrupt, don't daydream, don't plan your response. Just listen. The Gift of Affection Be generous with appropriate hugs, kisses, pats on the back and handholds. Let these small actions demonstrate the love you have for family and friends. The Gift of Laughter Clip cartoons. Share articles and funny stories. Your gift will say, "I love to laugh with you." The Gift of Solitude There are times when we want nothing better than to be left alone. Be sensitive to those times and give the gift of solitude to others. The Gift of a Favor Everyday, go out of your way to do something kind. The Gift of a Written Note It can be a simple "Thanks for the help" note or a full sonnet. A brief, hand